Star Trek: The Hideylian Expanse

This article is written from a real-world perspective.

Overview

The Hideylian Expanse is, essentially, a whole lot of nothing. By some reports, the place was jumping about 2 million years ago. But that was 2 million years ago. Now, there’s a few dead or dying stars and some heat-blasted moons. Some unremarkable spatial phenomena. It makes for a rather dull, uneventful trip. It’s what’s on the other side of the Expanse, however, that has some interest.

The Sirok system contains a yellow dwarf star and one of the Cardassian Union’s most far-flung colonies. The third planet, Imala (pronounced “eye-MAL-ah”), is a fairly small world possessing climatic ranges most Cardassians (and some other sapient species) would find comfortable. Settlement here began some fifty years ago, a few years before the Occupation of Bajor was established. The colony is fairly successful and almost totally self-reliant. It trades with several non-Union worlds and keeps in contact with other colonies. Contacts with the Federation have been few and far between. One could say Imala is head of its own small Union.

Imala’s distance from Cardassia Prime is both a blessing and a curse. Central Command doesn’t show much interest in the colony beyond the mere fact that it’s part of Cardassian territory. Imala (and the other colonies beyond) prefers this autonomy over constant meddling in their affairs. There is no strategic value, and constant travel to and from the Hideylian Expanse can become prohibitively expensive. The Sixth Order of the Cardassian Guard, headquartered at the nearer end of the region, is responsible for its protection, alongside its primary mission as explorers. If assistance is necessary, the quickest any help can arrive is six days at high warp.